People use computers for many different activities. Many activities commonly performed by computer users may be considered as “consumption” activities. Other activities commonly performed by computer users may be considered as “composition” activities. Consumption activities are activities where the user typically reads, listens to, searches for, locates, and/or “gathers” information from one or more sources. For example, consumption activities include browsing the Internet, or otherwise viewing information on screen, such as viewing spreadsheets or reading e-mail, reports, documents, or other text and images. Consumption activities are commonly performed when the user is browsing or searching web pages and databases. When performing these activities, it is common to use “Back” and “Forward” commands, scroll within an open document, and/or switch between open applications for multi-tasking or for referencing or sharing information between different documents. However, existing keyboards have not maximized a user's ability to perform these consumption activities.
Composition activities are activities performed by computer users when editing, creating, and/or composing text, web pages, spreadsheets, video or audio data, or other forms of data that can be presented on computer display. During these activities, it is common to highlight and edit various data portions, switch between multiple documents and applications, and/or scroll within existing documents. It is also common to take pieces of information or data from one document and put them into another document—either of the same document type or a different document type. Similarly, existing keyboards have not maximized a user's ability to perform these composition activities.
Additionally, to perform consumption and composition activities, a user commonly uses a keyboard in conjunction with a separate pointing device such as a computer mouse. However, there has been little improvement to existing keyboards for increasing the combined efficiency of a keyboard and a separate pointing device. For example, many keyboards are designed in a manner that requires the user to change hand positions frequently between the keyboard and the separate pointing device to perform many common tasks. This, in turn, results in increased distractions and reduced focus when performing various consumption and composition activities.
Further, interactions between keyboards and separate pointing devices for performing many computer tasks commonly place much of the burden on the dominant hand, typically the right hand, that traditionally controls the mouse or other pointing device. This can overburden the dominant hand to an extent that prevents the maximization of efficiency. Further, many existing short commands are performed by reaching for and engaging the separate pointing device (e.g., to “copy” a selected item). However, the step of reaching and engaging the separate pointing device reduces efficiency if the activities just prior to and just following engaging the pointing device are typing on the keyboard—as can commonly be the case.
Additionally, when using a computer, users will commonly switch between open applications or “window”. An open application or window is an active program and/or open file. To perform this task, users commonly reach for a mouse or another separate pointing device, move the cursor to a desired location positioned over a graphical user interface, such as an icon on a task bar, and click on a graphical user interface corresponding to a desired open application. At least one operating system, MICROSOFT® WINDOWS®, provides a keyboard shortcut whereby pressing the Alt key and the Tab key in combination (with the Alt key being pressed first) can effect switching between open applications. However, many users are not aware that this shortcut exists, and its use also has drawbacks, as it requires a two-step sequential operation to activate and an awkward position in the left hand.
Accordingly, a keyboard enabling a user to more efficiently perform consumption and composition based activities and switch between open applications, and reduce unnecessary actions for commonly performed tasks was thus needed.